WCU's Williams named All-American

WEST CHESTER – When Ronell Williams was told that he was one of just 11 defensive players named to the 2012 Division II All-America team by the American Football Coaches’ Association, he was shocked.

And when the star linebacker found out that he was just the 11th West Chester player in the program’s 91-season history to be so honored, he suddenly became emotional, thinking about the sacrifices his parents, Ronell and Bernadette, made to help him along while growing up on the hardscrabble streets of Chester.

“This award was definitely a surprise. I wasn’t expecting it at all. But once I got the news, I almost cried,” Williams acknowledged. “My first thought was that my mother was definitely going to cry and my father would be the proudest dad in America.”

The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder is the first All-American from WCU since standout receiver Mike Washington in 2008. In addition, he is the first sophomore to earn first-team AFCA honors in school history and is the only sophomore on the 25-player team.

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“It’s all there: (Ronell) works hard and he wants to be good,” said Golden Rams head coach Bill Zwaan. “The sky is the limit as far as where he is going to take it. He doesn’t have many negatives to his game.”

Williams becomes just the third defensive player at West Chester to earn All-American status. The other two: Chuck Weber in 1952 and Lee Woodall in 1992. Woodall went on to play eight seasons in the NFL, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1995.

“I pray that this is the first of many accomplishments,” Williams said. “I just want to keep getting better. I want this to be a stepping stone.

“And to be mentioned in the same breath as Lee Woodall is truly an honor. Once I found out that only a selected few in the history of West Chester have received this honor, it held a lot of weight in my mind.”

As a redshirt freshman, Williams led the 2011 Golden Rams in tackles (79) despite making just three starts. He came on very strong at the end of the season, registering double-digit tackles in each of West Chester’s last three games.

In the offseason, WCU replaced its 3-4 defensive alignment for the 4-3 in an effort to bolster its run defense, and Williams was the key cog in the middle. He wound up leading the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in tackles with 119, which was good for 11th nationally. He also ranked fourth in the nation among linebackers with three interceptions.

“The new defense that was implemented last spring fits my style of play well,” Williams explained. “And I give a lot of credit to my defensive line. If it wasn’t for those guys eating blocks up front, I know I wouldn’t have made so many tackles.”

Williams was named first team All-PSAC East as well as first team All Super Region 1 earlier this fall. He was also an academic all-area selection for his work in the classroom by maintaining a grade-point average above a 3.00.

“Coming into the season, I knew the sky was the limit,” Williams said. “I never thought about All-American but I believe that with coach (Mike) Furlong calling the plays and coach (Bill) Shuey teaching me the game of football, all I had to do was stay healthy and execute the game plans.”

Venue change for ‘Battle of Firsts’ gets thumbs up

Sunday was the first time in many years that the annual Cheyney-Lincoln basketball rivalries were held on campus at either school. A large and spirited crowd packed Cheyney’s Cope Hall for the doubleheader, and the reviews were generally quite positive. Next season, Lincoln’s Rivero Hall will play host to the battle.

“Some people had some reluctance about playing this game on campus,” said Jessica Kern, the head coach for the Lincoln women. “But to me, the atmosphere was intense and a great example to our kids on how our conference road games will be.”

The previous three meetings between the men’s and women’s teams from CU and LU took place at the Liacouras Center at Temple University. And prior to that, the ‘Battle of the Firsts’ doubleheaders were staged at Temple’s McGonigle Hall.

“I liked the atmosphere (Sunday at Cope Hall) but I also liked it at Temple,” said Cheyney men’s coach Dominique Stephens. “It doesn’t really matter where you play a rivalry game. I have no problem going to Lincoln next year and playing on their turf.”

Cheyney, Lincoln coaches respect rivals

The Cheyney-Lincoln rivalry can get quite heated, especially among the students. But there is a healthy amount of respect for the opposition when it comes to the basketball coaches.

Not long after his team had suffered a 91-84 loss to the visiting Lions, Stephens had nothing but kind words for his counterpart John Hill, who’s guided Lincoln to a 6-1 mark, the program’s best in 19 years.

“We are friends,” Stephens said. “I like his team. I knew they were going to be scary once he added the big guy (Will Cole). He already had those experienced guards and the other guys on the team are able to accept their roles.

“I think they are going to beat a lot of teams in the CIAA.”

On the women’s side, Kern ended her post-game press conference following an emotional 74-68 overtime victory by expressing empathy for Wolves’ head coach Marilyn Stephens, and her program, which is currently mired in a 37-game losing streak dating back to Feb. of 2011.

“I know they’ve had a tough two seasons and it’s extremely difficult to break through a barrier like that,” Kern said. “I know. (Sunday) night, they gave their best effort of the year and I think a breakthrough is around the corner.